Brecksville-Broadview Hts. school board member sends endorsement email to district employees

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A Brecksville-Broadview Heights school board member has sent a letter to the private email addresses of some district employees encouraging them to re-elect two of his incumbent colleagues.

Board member Mark Dosen's actions has some voters questioning the appropriateness of his attempt to sway the votes of his subordinates.

Dosen said he had no intention of reaching out to district employees, but inadvertently included their personal emails in a mass mailing.

In the email sent to nearly 5,000 Brecksville and Broadview Heights residents last week, Dosen explains why he believes Board President David Tryon and Vice President Mark Jantzen deserve re-election. He also makes a case against challengers Debbie Bernauer and George Balasko.

"Supporting David Tryon and Mark Jantzen will keep us moving forward on a fiscally sustainable path while continuing to pursue educational excellence," he said in the letter. "The opposition, with their endorsement by and close ties to the [Brecksville-Broadview Heights Education Association], offers a return to the past where new levies are always the solution for financial problems."

Dosen sent the letter from a private email address, but identified himself as a school board member.

The unsolicited email made its way to the private in-boxes of district employees, parents and constituents after Dosen submitted public records requests to the Brecksville-Broadview Heights school district and the Broadview Heights Mayor's Office.

Dosen requested the email addresses of everyone who receives regular correspondence from the mayor, said Annette Phelps, Broadview Heights City Clerk. The request produced about 2,000 email addresses.

Rick Berdine, school district treasurer, said his office fulfilled an anonymous records request last week that yielded close to 3,000 email addresses.

"The assumption is that [Dosen's] emails are a result of that request," Berdine said.

The district's collection of email addresses is primarily used to contact parents in an emergency or keep teachers and other stakeholders informed of district happenings, according to district officials.

"People are obviously concerned that their personal emails are being used for political purposes," said Superintendent Scot Prebles. "That is not what the district collects the emails or uses the emails."

Catherine Turcer of good-government group Common Cause Ohio said Dosen's emailed endorsements tiptoe an ethical line.

"It's somewhat problematic that he used his official title in the email," Turcer said. "The question is whether his subordinates understand that it was not an official email and that he was expressing his private opinion."

Dosen defended the email.

"The fact there were some district employees who had their private addresses on the list is not something that I could avoid," Dosen said. "There are people who were upset and troubled by my email. I did my best to be respectful and say that I would remove them from the list."

Board of Education President David Tryon said he found no fault in Dosen's correspondence.

"Whatever he sends out personally is his opinion," Tryon said. "He's free to identify himself as a board member, but that doesn't mean heâ's speaking for the board."